Will Thaksin Shinawatra Ever Be Prime Minister Again?

[Lancashirelad]

Remember we're talking Thailand here........... NOTHING is impossible with the right amount of tea money.

[raro]

...you forgot the poll...

[soundman]

Poll added.

[jasreeve17]

Wasn't this poll seen only a week or 2 ago?

It goes like this; the yellows Plus, Animatic, Samui... just rant anti MrT. Then the reds come in and rant anti PAD. Then some people try to be neutral, but are irritated by one side or the other then join in and are labelled...

This argument has been repeated here every day for eons and it just becomres more and more ridiculous.

I'm not blaming the OP for starting the poll, it just goes nowhere...

[givenall]

Remember we're talking Thailand here........... NOTHING is impossible with the right amount of tea money.

I think looking back at the history, these people have hard time to let go. I remember Iran;s Shah, Noriaga, Margos, they never wanted to just go on with their life. Most powerful leaders from US will just go on and become normal citizen after 4 or 8 years and hardly ever hear from tem again.

It happens only in the countries that cooption is very high, it is all about the tea money then and they never can have enough

[seanocasey]

Taskin says vote rigging in poll

[Rumfoord]

if you go to http://pm.go.th/ the "Official Site of the Prime Minister of Thailand"

you will see that Abhisit fancy himself as the only, solely and eternal PM of Thailand.

[eggomaniac]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Prime...ers_of_Thailand

In case you think Thaksin was the only PM that had and/or was a 'problem child', check the list of OUSTED PM's.

Also, notice over 1/2 were high ranking military or police officers.

[Has there been a poll > {on a scale of 1 to 10, how succesful has democracy been in Thailand?}

Another thing, are we to believe the many BLOGS that detail the CIA's involvement in ruining, I mean running the affairs of the Kingdom?

Removed by: 1933 coup d'état

Removed by: 1947 coup d'état

Resignation: under pressure from Coup Group

Re-appointed after: 1949 coup d'état

Removed by: 1957 coup d'état

Resigned after: 1958 coup d'état

Removed then re-appointed himself after: 1971 coup d'état

Resigned after: 14 October 1973 Uprising

Removed by: 1976 coup d'état

Removed by:October 1977 coup d'état

Removed by: 1991 coup d'état

Resigned due to: Black May event

Dissolution after 2005-2006 political crisis: 24 February 2006

Removed by: 2006 coup d'état

-----------

Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram Would make an interesting study. - HELD office from 1942 to 44; then '48 to '57 WOW- most lasted 6 months to a year

Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn too, ousted by coup in 1958; came back to RULE '63 to '73 - DYNASTY

The biggest mystery is how Chuan Leekpai, a peasant Chinese Thai, no aristocratic or military backing, ever made it to power!!??

[a99az]

Remember we're talking Thailand here........... NOTHING is impossible with the right amount of tea money.

I voted yes but not in Thailand. Me thinks he could be running low on tea money so will look for some cheap place to set up camp and play at being the big man again.

[manarak]

ok now... for a good laugh, who voted "YES" ??

I voted yes but not in Thailand. Me thinks he could be running low on tea money so will look for some cheap place to set up camp and play at being the big man again.

that doesn't count...

think about it, he is thai of chinese ascent and looks jap... where in the world could he become PM?

Edited September 8, 2009 by manarak

[slapout]

manarak; your last sentence is good for a good laugh.

[SHYTALK]

The fact is that Taksin is still the legitimate democratically elected PM.

Overthrown by the military junta.

So untill the people speak in an election, then Taksin was last elected PM.

[Siripon]

MPs elect the PM, not the people. Thaksin broke innumerable laws to enrich himself whilst PM, which is why he ran away. Citing the support of the poor and uneducated doesn't change that.

Very few educated people in Thailand support Thaksin, they saw through his lies a long time ago.

[caf]

Whether he did many bad things, or whether he did many good things - no matter

he would be very vengful if he came back, lots of scores to settle.

so answr.....NO

[Ricardo]

The fact is that Taksin is still the legitimate democratically elected PM.

Overthrown by the military junta.

So untill the people speak in an election, then Taksin was last elected PM.

Sorry but, when he was overthrown by the coup in September 2006, Thaksin was not the "democratically elected PM" you claim, but only a caretaker-PM appointed by the revered Head of State.

He was the legitimate democratically elected PM, elected for the second time in 2005, until he resigned his government in January 2006. Unfortunately the election he ran in April 2006 was too shaky to stand, even by Thai democratic standards, so it was annulled by the Electoral Commission due to vote-rigging, all this well before the coup.

Which is why many posters insist that he was elected PM twice, not three times, and wasn't the democratically-elected PM at the time of the coup, a subtle but I feel important difference.

Happily the junta returned power by the end of 2007, as they promised within days of the coup, since when we've had three other PMs (so far), and normal coalition-politics have resumed. So the people have spoken, as you desire.

Laudably the E.C. have also continued their efforts to clean-up local politics, banning individual-MPs of several parties when judged to have cheated, or forcing re-runs of their constituencies' votes where the evidence was less strong, and also punishing whole parties where their leadership was judged to be knowingly-complicit in the vote-rigging.

This is a slow but necessary step, in trying to move towards a better democracy, IMHO.

Edited September 9, 2009 by Ricardo

[Lancashirelad]

Good post Ricardo, clearly putting the facts (afaik) in order. Thank you.

[bigbadmamasan]

Personally I liked Thaksin - he has big gonads - his removal whilst taking care of business has left a huge chasm.

If he needs to come back to restore peace - then so be it. I dont believe he would be re-elected democratically again.

Too much (dirty) water has flowed under the bridge

[EffectiveAnger]

No, but there will be a whole line of Thaksin cronies to fill in the gaps while he's absent. If he returns, I think there will be a revenge assination plot, with a price on his head. He's made a whole lot of enemies with various different groups of people who would like nothing more than a shot at him. Thaksin doesn't understand this yet, but his staying away from Thailand might very well be in his own best interest. It's time he start refocusing his attention on his own financial situation and try to make the best of it instead of endlessly throwing money into Thailand in the hopeless pursuit of becoming PM again.

[Jingthing]

When pigs fly. When hel_l freezes over. When Elvis sings again. When you can get good Mexican food in Pattaya ...

Edited September 14, 2009 by Jingthing

[ozzieovaseas]

Shoudnt this be mooved to the joke forum?

[Jingthing]

Shoudnt this be mooved to the joke forum?

It should be but the sad reality is that his true believers live for the dream of the day their red shirted grant poobah savior will return triumphant. Never mind what that would actually mean to Thailand.

[Ricardo]

No, but there will be a whole line of Thaksin cronies to fill in the gaps while he's absent. If he returns, I think there will be a revenge assination plot, with a price on his head. He's made a whole lot of enemies with various different groups of people who would like nothing more than a shot at him. Thaksin doesn't understand this yet, but his staying away from Thailand might very well be in his own best interest. It's time he start refocusing his attention on his own financial situation and try to make the best of it instead of endlessly throwing money into Thailand in the hopeless pursuit of becoming PM again.

Interesting post.

Although he has claimed, at various times over several years, to be under threat of assasination, it didn't actually happen when he did return in 2008, and his latest statements suggest that he doesn't currently feel threatened in this way. The 737-fire wasn't really proven either way, and anyway was a long time ago, the car-bomb was seen by many as a crude attempt to generate sympathy, when his popularity was waning.

There are certainly plenty of people eager to step into his political shoes, I'm not sure whether they're as competent or honest as he was, the topic of his political succession might make an interesting thread for discussion. But not until after the issue of his money has been resolved, and things have moved on, from the current short-term situation, when he has strong reasons for keeping the pot boiling.

IMHO his legacy will be to have heightened the issue of the poor, and their need to get a slightly-larger share of the cake, in return for their support at election-time. This has already been achieved ... and his return as PM wouldn't achieve anything more, it is very unlikely indeed. His chances of joining/leading the Privy Council, as an elder stateman a'la Prem, are well and truly scuppered by his own actions.

[EffectiveAnger]

Ricardo,

Did you see Thaksin in 2008? I did... a few times too and I've never seen any one person surrounded by so many body guards and servicemen in all my life! I've met a US President, a Vice President and a few other high profile politicians too; they didn't even have half the number of bodyguards around them as Thaksin had. The news reporters couldn't get within hearing range of him. Nobody employs that number of bodyguards unless there's good reason for it!

People should remember that Thaksin made a statement that he wasn't interested in being PM again and he was only acting as a caretaker PM at the time of the coup d'etat. He held that post from April to Sept. and showed no sign of leaving. Even if he had no corruption charges against him, his acting as an illegimate caretaker PM for so long should have been enough to say, "hey, I think it's time to move on." Yet Thaksin continued to pressure the issue over and over again. History may show that his persistence may have cost him big money. If I'm not too far off, I think he still has about $2.2 billion dollars in frozen assets in Thailand and another $4.2 billion frozen in the UK. I suggest he refocus his attention on those issues. And as a sidenote, this whole fight has cost him his personal life with the loss of his marriage and relationship with his children. I guess you can't put a price on that. In retrospect, was it all really worth it?

Edited September 15, 2009 by EffectiveAnger

[geriatrickid]

I voted yes. However, it wasn't for this lifetime. Maybe in in the next one.

[somluck]

I believe after puppet master Prem is gone (i give him a few more years) then Thaksin will return to his rightful position as PM and save the Thai people.

[Jingthing]

I believe after puppet master Prem is gone (i give him a few more years) then Thaksin will return to his rightful position as PM and save the Thai people.

Hint to Thai people. Save yourselves.

[ballpoint]

I believe after Prem is gone (i give him a few more years) then Thaksin will return to his old position as PM and then god save the Thai people.

Fixed it for you.

Edited September 16, 2009 by ballpoint